Tuesday, July 31

INGMAR BERGMAN

Seems that filmmaker INGMAR BERGMAN lost his chess match with death yesterday. Here's a song that serves as an ode to one of his most famous films, as well as one that celebrates his native Sweden (and name-checks the man himself).

[
MP3] SCOTT WALKER/"The Seventh Seal"

[MP3] THE DIVINE COMEDY/"Sweden"

CHERRY GHOST

The UK's CHERRY GHOST on MySPACE.

CHERRY GHOST on the road >>>

Aug 12 2007 8:00P/Summer Sundae Festival/Leicester
Aug 18 2007 8:00P/V Festival/Stafford
Aug 19 2007 8:00P/V Festival/Chelmsford


[
MP3] "Thirst for Romance"

[
MP3] "Here Come the Romans"

THE THRILLS

Ireland's THE THRILLS on MySPACE.

THE THRILLS live and in-person >>>

Aug 2 2007 8:00P/Cyprus Avenue/Cork
Aug 4 2007 8:00P/Roisin Dubh/Galway
Aug 18 2007 5:00P/V Festival/Chelmsford
Aug 19 2007 8:00P/V Festival/Stafford


From the LP TEENAGER, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "The Midnight Choir"
[MP3] "This Year"

From the LP SO MUCH FOR THE CITY, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Just Traveling Through"
[MP3] "Say It Ain't So"

Monday, July 30

THE FAINT

I had intended to post this single-artist sampler last week as a bit of Friday frivolity. Well, here it finally is....

THE FAINT on MySPACE.

[
MP3] "Southern Belles in London Sing"

[
MP3] "The Conductor"

[
MP3] "Birth"

[
MP3] "Agenda Suicide" [Fake I.D. mix]

AMY MACDONALD

[I had the most disastrous night of my life last Thursday, and I'll be trying to dig myself out from that in the days ahead. I fully expect to have new music up for you on a daily basis, but I probably won't have much time or inclination to write about the artists. In the meantime, enjoy the tunes....]

I first heard about Scotland's
AMY MACDONALD late Wednesday night. All I remember is that I was very excited about the songs I'd discovered and that I was looking forward to putting them up here on Monday. Which, of course, would be today. And today would also be the day that her debut LP, THIS IS THE LIFE, hits UK retail shelves.

AMY MACDONALD on MySPACE.

AMY MACDONALD on the road >>>

Jul 30 2007 5:00P/HMV - Argyle Street - Acoustic performance & signing/Glasgow
Jul 31 2007 10:00P/Sugarmill/Stoke
Aug 1 2007 8:00P/The Plug/Sheffield
Aug 2 2007 9:45P/Water Rats, headline show/London
Aug 4 2007 1:00P/Innocent Village Fete/Regents Park/London
Aug 7 2007 10:15P/Roadhouse/Manchester
Aug 8 2007 10:15P/Fibbers/York
Aug 10 2007 5:00P/Belladrum Festival/Belladrum, Scotland
Aug 12 2007 12:00P/Beached Festival/Scarborough
Aug 14 2007 8:00P/Tunnels/Aberdeen


[
MP3] "This is the Life"

[
MP3] "Footballers Wife"

[
VID] "Poison Prince"

Friday, July 27

THE '60s - V. 2



Left-click [HERE] for the tunes.

And [HERE] for volume 1.

TRACKLIST >>>

01 Chubby Checker/The Twist
02 The Ventures/Walk, Don't Run
03 Steppenwolf/Born to Be Wild
04 The Hollies/Bus Stop
05 Ben E. King/Stand By Me
06 The American Breed/Bend Me, Shape Me
07 The Association/Cherish
08 The Lovin' Spoonful/Summer in the City
09 Jan & Dean/Surf City
10 The Beau Brummels/Just a Little
11 We Five/You Were on My Mind
12 The Supremes/My World is Empty Without You
13 Bee Gees/I Started a Joke
14 Sonny & Cher/I Got You Babe
15 Roy Orbison/Oh Pretty Woman
16 The Beach Boys/Good Vibrations
17 The Lemon Pipers/Green Tambourine
18 John Fred & His Playboy Band/Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)
19 The Box Tops/the Letter
20 The Foundations/Build Me Up Buttercup
21 Neil Sedaka/Breaking Up is Hard to Do
22 Shelley Fabares/Johnny Angel
23 The Rascals/Good Lovin'
24 The Spencer Davis Group/Gimme Some Lovin'
25 Sam Cooke/Wonderful World
26 Scott McKenzie/San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)

27 The Rolling Stones/Paint It, Black
28 Jefferson Airplane/White Rabbit

Thursday, July 26

METRIC


METRIC recorded GROW UP AND BLOW AWAY in 1999, but it didn't see release until this past June. Better late than never, I guess.

Metric will be playing the Virgin Festival in Toronto on September 9.

METRIC on MySPACE.

From the LP GROW UP AND BLOW AWAY, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "The Twist"
[
MP3] "Hardwire"

From the LP LIVE IT OUT, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Poster of a Girl"
[
MP3] "Too Little Too Late"

From the LP OLD WORLD UNDERGROUND, WHERE ARE YOU NOW?, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] [VID] "Combat Baby"
[
MP3] [VID] "Succexy"

Wednesday, July 25

THE SILENT LEAGUE


A bit of chamber pop for you today....

JUSTIN RUSSO plays in the band HOPEWELL with his brother Jason and has also played keyboards with MERCURY REV. He formed THE SILENT LEAGUE in 2002 and released their debut album two years later. OF STARS AND OTHER SOMEBODIES, the band's sophomore effort, dropped in June.

Generally-speaking, the Silent League traffic in sad, slow, lush pop. Mercury Rev are one touchstone. THE FLAMING LIPS and GRANDADDY are a couple of others.

The Silent League will be playing NYC's Mercury Lounge on August 10 with LOS CAMPESINOS!.

THE SILENT LEAGUE on MySPACE.

From the LP OF STARS AND OTHER SOMEBODIES, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Kings and Queens"
[
MP3] "Let It Roll"

From the LP THE ORCHESTRA, SADLY, HAS REFUSED, 2004 >>>
[
MP3] "Breathe"
[
MP3] [VID] "The Catbird Seat"

THE ENEMY


At a certain point, inevitably, these much-buzzed-about British bands begin to sound an awful lot alike....

THE ENEMY are a three-piece from Coventry. Their debut LP, WE'LL LIVE AND DIE IN THESE TOWNS, apparently went to #1 in the UK upon its July 16 release. I'll let you decide if their music is the real thing or just so much smoke-and-mirrors puffery. Truth is, it's probably too early to tell.

THE ENEMY on MySPACE.

THE ENEMY on the road >>>

Jul 31 2007 8:00P/IBIZA ROCKS - BAR M/IBIZA, Balears
Aug 11 2007 12:00P/Summersonic Festival (JAPAN)/Osaka
Aug 12 2007 8:00A/Summersonic Festival (JAPAN)/Tokyo
Aug 17 2007 8:00P/PUKKELPOP/HASSLET
Aug 18 2007 8:00P/HIGHFIELD FESTIVAL/GERMANY
Aug 24 2007 8:00P/READING FESTIVAL/READING
Aug 25 2007 8:00P/LEEDS FESTIVAL/LEEDS
Sep 1 2007 8:00P/JERSEY LIVE - JERSEY/JERSEY
Sep 27 2007 8:00P/OXFORD - ZODIAC/OXFORD


[
MP3] "You're Not Alone"

[
MP3] [VID] "Had Enough"

Tuesday, July 24

HANSON



At first glance, this may seem like a joke post. Not so, I say!

It's been a decade since the brothers HANSON mmmbopped their way into the collective conscious. ISAAC, TAYLOR, and ZAC were a mere 17, 14, and 12, respectively, at the time. Now, all three are married and have four kids amongst them. Gone are the long, golden locks and innocent, little-kid grins. They no doubt want to be regarded as MEN these days. They no doubt want their music to be taken SERIOUSLY.

Whether that's possible or not at this juncture is the $64,000 question. Sure, MICHAEL JACKSON managed to make the transition from boy singer to adult star, but the entertainment road is littered with the ignored corpses of once-cute, well-marketed novelties. Call it "The Diff'rent Strokes Syndrome." (And blame it all on Conrad Bain, that bastard.)

(Oh, and... speaking of Michael Jackson... I bet he and his pals at NAMBLA gave up on Hanson the day cute-as-a-button drummer Zac turned the big one-five.)

Hanson's fourth album, THE WALK, sees its North American release today. I felt sure that you would want to know.

HANSON on MySPACE.

From the LP THE WALK, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Georgia"
[
MP3] "Blue Sky"

From the LP THIS TIME AROUND, 2000 >>>
[
MP3] "Runaway Run"
[
MP3] "Love Song"

From the LP MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, 1997 >>>
[
MP3] "MMMBop"
[
MP3] "A Minute Without You"

BISHOP ALLEN


When I first started doing the blogging-thing back in 2005, it seemed to me that BISHOP ALLEN were getting an undue amount of attention from the "establishment" bloggers. If memory serves, YOU AIN'T NO PICASSO was leading the charge at the time. Yet, despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to find the necessary wavelength. Vibe. Groove. Whatever. At a certain point, I resigned myself to the fact that I would never "get" Bishop Allen.

Now, two years later, I STILL don't get them. But, to commemorate today's release of their new CD, THE BROKEN STRING, I am offering up the four Bishop Allen songs that I actually sort of enjoy. Faint praise? You betcha. But I'm confident my lukewarm tribute will be more than made up for by the gargantuan gushing of bigger and better bloggers.

BISHOP ALLEN on MySPACE.

BISHOP ALLEN taking it to the people >>>

Jul 24 2007 8:00P/The Earl/Atlanta, Georgia
Jul 25 2007 8:00P/Spanish Moon/Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Jul 26 2007 8:00P/Proletariat/Houston, Texas
Jul 27 2007 8:00P/Emo's/Austin, Texas
Jul 28 2007 8:00P/Hailey's/Denton, Texas
Jul 30 2007 8:00P/Paper Heart/Phoenix, Arizona
Jul 31 2007 8:00P/The Echo/Los Angeles, California
Aug 1 2007 8:00P/The Independent/San Francisco, California
Aug 3 2007 8:00P/Doug Fir/Portland, Oregon
Aug 4 2007 8:00P/Crocodile Cafe/Seattle, Washington


From the LP THE BROKEN STRING, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Corazon"
[
MP3] "Flight 180"

From the LP CHARM SCHOOL, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] "Things Are What You Make of Them"
[
MP3] "Busted Heart"

Monday, July 23

STARS


Well, here's one way to beat a leak. Montreal's STARS won't officially release their latest long-player, IN OUR BEDROOM AFTER THE WAR [ARTS & CRAFTS], until September 25. But, for the impatient amongst you, there is good news. You can purchase the album -- or songs from it -- right now by going [HERE].

Personally, at this early stage, I'm not liking IN OUR BEDROOM as much as I did SET YOURSELF ON FIRE, which was one of my favorite discs of 2005. I'm hoping this won't end up an '07 disappointment in the vein of THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS' latest (or that first song from the upcoming RILO KILEY). I need my big hitters to step up. R.E.M., it's been 15 years since your last truly great album. RADIOHEAD, you're still my most beloved, but it's been 10 years since yours. So get cracking, dammit!

STARS on MySPACE.

STARS across the cosmos >>>

Sep 6 2007 8:00P/Calvin College Fine Arts Center/Grand Rapids, Michigan
Sep 8 2007 8:00P/Osheaga@Parc Jean Drapeau/Montreal, Quebec
Sep 9 2007 12:00P/Toronto Island/Toronto, Ontario
Oct 17 2007 8:00P/Higher Ground/Burlington, Vermont
Oct 18 2007 8:00P/Town Hall/New York, New York
Oct 19 2007 8:00P/Berklee/Boston, Massachusetts
Oct 20 2007 8:00P9:30 Club/Washington, Washington DC
Oct 24 2007 8:00P/Starlight Ballroom/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 26 2007 8:00P/Cat's Cradle/Carrboro, North Carolina
Oct 27 2007 8:00P/The Variety Playhouse/Atlanta, Georgia


From the LP IN OUR BEDROOM AFTER THE WAR, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Take Me to the Riot"
[
MP3] "The Night Starts Here"

From the LP SET YOURSELF ON FIRE, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Ageless Beauty"
[
MP3] "Calendar Girl"

From the LP HEART, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] "Elevator Love Letter"
[
MP3] "Heart"

From the LP NIGHTSONGS, 2001 >>>
[
MP3] "On Peak Hill"
[
MP3] "My Radio" [FM]

Saturday, July 21

THE '60s - V. 1

I put this this mix up many moons ago, but every now and again I'm asked to re-post it.

(There'll be two more volumes in the weeks ahead.)

Please left-click [HERE] to acquire the collection.

TRACKLIST >>>

01 The Mamas & The Papas/California Dreamin'
02 Petula Clark/Downtown
03 The Archies/Sugar, Sugar
04 Tommy James & the Shondells/Crimson and Clover
05 The Seekers/Georgy Girl
06 Del Shannon/Runaway
07 Strawberry Alarm Clock/Incense and Peppermints
08 Nancy Sinatra/These Boots Were Made for Walkin'
09 Elvis Presley/Can't Help Falling in Love
10 Judy Collins/Both Sides Now
11 The Monkees/I'm a Believer
12 Brian Hyland/Sealed With a Kiss
13 Dionne Warwick/I Say a Little Prayer
14 Frankie Avalon/Venus
15 Henry Mancini/Moon River
16 The 5th Dimension/Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
17 Classics IV/Traces
18 The Turtles/Happy Together
19 The Shirelles/Will You Love Me Tomorrow
20 Percy Sledge/When a Man Loves a Woman
21 Aretha Franklin/(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman
22 Marvin Gaye/What's Going On
23 The Zombies/Time of the Season
24 Skeeter Davis/The End of the World
25 Barry McGuire/Eve of Destruction
26 Peter, Paul & Mary/Where Have All the Flowers Gone

Friday, July 20

SUN-60

As I continue to methodically make my way through my old mix CDs, I keep stumbling upon random pockets of nostalgia....

Round about 1995, a friend of mine in L.A. introduced me to the band SUN-60. They weren't big then (though DAVE NAVARRO worked with them for a short time), and they would officially break up the following year, but I liked a number of their songs and asked my friend to put together a CD for me (I wouldn't enter the CD-burning age until 1999).

I can't remember the exact tracklist of that first CD-R, but I know that Sun-60's "Responsible" was on it, as well as all of the bonus tracks below. It's hard for me to believe that 12 years have passed since that time. At this rate, I'll be dead before I know it.

[
MP3] "Responsible"

[
MP3] "Tell Me Like You Know"

[
MP3] "Hold On"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] INDIGO GIRLS [w/MICHAEL STIPE]/"Kid Fears"

[MP3] TORI AMOS/"Losing My Religion"

[MP3] SUGAR/"If I Can't Change Your Mind"

[MP3] MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER/"Passionate Kisses"

[MP3] BELLY/"Now They'll Sleep"

[MP3] THE JUDYBATS/"Lullaby (Weren't We Wild)"

[MP3] SINEAD O'CONNOR/"Streets of London"

Thursday, July 19

ART BRUT


The UK's ART BRUT remind me a bit of PULP and early BLUR. Superficially, at least. But I'm not sure I cotton much to EDDIE ARGOS' talk-sing delivery; he's certainly no JARVIS COCKER. But, then again, who is?

Art Brut's second LP, IT'S A BIT COMPLICATED, is out now.

ART BRUT on MySPACE.

ART BRUT on the move >>>

Jul 20 2007 8:00P/Vielles Charrues/Caraix / France
Jul 21 2007 8:00P/Garden Nef Party/Angoulème / France
Jul 27 2007 6:00P/Hrachkova Festival/Valasske/Mezirici / Czech Republic
Jul 28 2007 8:00P/Les Transcevenoles/Sumene / France
Jul 31 2007 8:00P/Sedieres Festival/Sedieres / France
Aug 9 2007 8:00P/Les Plages Du Rock/St. Tropez / France
Aug 15 2007 6:00P/La Route Du Rock/St. Malo / France
Aug 17 2007 6:00P/Pukkelpop Festival/Hasselt
Aug 25 2007 6:00P/Area 4 Festival/Luedinghausen/Dortmund / Germany
Aug 26 2007 6:00P/Get Loaded In The Park Festival/London
Sep 2 2007 6:00P/Bumbershoot Festival/Seattle / USA


[
MP3] "People in Love"

[
MP3] "Nag Nag Nag Nag"

HELLO SAFERIDE


When I first wrote about HELLO SAFERIDE (aka ANNIKA NORLIN) in May 2006, I likened her sound to a cross between AZURE RAY and NINA PERSSON. In retrospect, I'm guessing I threw Persson into the mix primarily because Norlin, like Persson, is a Swede.

Clearly, the woman also has a sense of humor, as her song titles would seem to attest. Surely "If I Don't Write This Song, Someone I Love Will Die," "Loneliness is Better When You're Not Alone," and "Nothing Like You (When You're Gone)" could pry a wry smile out of MORRISSEY. (And surely JILL SOBULE can take some credit for the lipstick-lesbian-clever "My Best Friend.")

HELLO SAFERIDE on MySPACE.

From the LP INTRODUCING... HELLO SAFERIDE, 2006 >>>
[
MP3] "Long Lost Penpal"
[
MP3] "My Best Friend"

From the EP WOULD YOU LET ME PLAY THIS EP 10 TIMES A DAY?, 2006 >>>
[
MP3] "2006"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] HELLO SAFERIDE/"Valentine's Day"

[
MP3] JILL SOBULE/"I Kissed a Girl"

Wednesday, July 18

OKKERVIL RIVER


In November 2005, I wrote about Austin indie rockers OKKERVIL RIVER thusly:

"I first discovered [these guys] with the ragged epic "The War Criminal Rises and Speaks," and I've been with them ever since. There's something unhinged about them -- the charmingly circuitous lyrics; WILL SHEFF's cracked, semi-hysterical voice; the warm-yet-eccentric instrumentation."

All of which are back on display on their latest release, THE STAGE NAMES, available August 7 on JAGJAGUWAR. The first three songs seem the strongest to me (first time through, anyway), but I have a feeling this will be a "grower." We shall see....

OKKERVIL RIVER on MySPACE.

OKKERVIL RIVER eventually >>>

Sep 3 2007 8:30P/Casbah/San Diego, California
Sep 4 2007 8:00P/Troubadour/Los Angeles, California
Sep 5 2007 8:00P/Independent/San Francisco, California
Sep 8 2007 8:00P/Berbati's Pan (MusicFest NW)/Portland, Oregon
Sep 9 2007 8:00P/Richard's on Richards/Vancouver, British Columbia
Sep 10 2007 8:00P/Neumos/Seattle, Washington
Sep 13 2007 8:00P/Marquis Theatre/Denver, Colorado
Sep 14 2007 8:00P/Waiting Room/Omaha, Nebraska
Sep 15 2007 9:00P/Picador/Iowa City, Iowa
Sep 17 2007 8:00P/Pabst Theater/Milwaukee, Wisconsin


From the LP THE STAGE NAMES, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene"

From the EP BLACK SHEEP BOY APPENDIX, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "No Key, No Plan"
[
MP3] "Another Radio Song"

From the LP BLACK SHEEP BOY, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Black"
[
MP3] "The Latest Toughs"

From the LP DOWN THE RIVER OF GOLDEN DREAMS, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] "The War Criminal Rises and Speaks"
[
MP3] "It Ends With a Fall"

From the LP DONT FALL IN LOVE WITH EVERYONE YOU SEE, 2002 >>>
[
MP3] "Westfall"

Tuesday, July 17

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN is led by JOAN WASSER, of Brooklyn (by way of Connecticut by way of Maine). Ms. Wasser played concert violin as a young adult before easing her way into the idie-rock scene -- first as a session violinist, then as a guitar player and singer. As an aside, she was also once involved -- professionally and romantically -- with JEFF BUCKLEY.

Rolling Stone just recently slagged off the Joan as Police Woman album REAL LIFE, dismissing much of it as just so much adult-contemporary/coffeehouse Muzak. Maybe so, maybe so. But I like the songs below.

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN on MySPACE.

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN on a couple of continents >>>

Jul 17 2007 10:00P/Mercati Generali/Catania
Jul 18 2007 9:30P/Pico Castle Courtyard/Mirandola/Modena
Jul 19 2007 10:00P/Nuvolari Festival - Cueno
Jul 20 2007 10:00P/Sesto Fiorentino/Area Osmannoro/SUD
Jul 31 2007 10:15P/Schubas/Chicago, Illinois
Aug 7 2007 8:00P/Bowery Ballroom/New York, NY
Aug 9 2007 10:00P/IOTA Club & Cafe/Arlington, Virginia
Aug 10 2007 9:15P/Tin Angel/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sep 3 2007 4:45P/Northwest Court Stage/Seattle, Washington
Sep 4 2007 10:00P/Doug Fir Lounge/Portland, Oregon


[
MP3] "Christobel"

[
MP3] "The Ride"

THE PERISHERS

THE PERISHERS are a four-piece from Umea, Sweden, and they want to rock you -- ever-so-gently. THE HIVES, these guys are not.

The fact that SARAH McLACHLAN is a big fan should probably give you some indication. Also, they're favorite-slippers-comfortable regulars on the TV soundtrack circuit: "The O.C.," "One Tree Hill," "Veronica Mars."

The Perishers will be releasing their third record, VICTORIOUS, September 4 on NETTWERK. They will also reportedly be touring North America this winter. Dates and venues TBA.

From the LP VICTORIOUS, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Victorious"
[
MP3] "Carefree"

From the LP LET THERE BE MORNING, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] "Sway"
[
MP3] "Pills"

Monday, July 16

THE LOOSE SALUTE


Because I want to get a couple more songs out to you today -- and because my energy is flagging -- I'm going to do something I never do: Directly regurgitate some press-release propaganda for you to parse for yourself. Most importantly, of course, the songs are waiting for you at the bottom of the post.

THE LOOSE SALUTE was founded by IAN McCUTCHEON, the drummer for a long-time fave outfit of mine -- MOJAVE 3.

"The Loose Salute is essentially a pop group, with both folk and country overtones that draws songwriting influences from the likes of THE BYRDS, THE BEACH BOYS, THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS, THE EAGLES, and LEONARD COHEN."

"Some of the more contemporary comparisons include the work of ELLIOTT SMITH, THE BEACHWOOD SPARKS, THE TYDE, WILCO, THE SHINS, MIDLAKE, and DR. DOG."

"The English band’s debut album, TUNED TO LOVE, is a record full of summer sounds and nostalgia."


For those of you in London on July 18, the Loose Salute will be playing a free show at Heavenly Social at 8 PM.

THE LOOSE SALUTE on MySPACE.

[
MP3] "Turn the Radio Up"

[
MP3] "Photographs and Tickets"

SMASHING PUMPKINS

I can't say that I approached the new SMASHING PUMPKINS record, ZEITGEIST, with a great deal of optimism. BILLY CORGAN's placing an ad declaring his desire to "get his band back" seemed typically self-serving and overblown. And when all is said and done? No JAMES IHA. No D'ARCY. Hell, no MELISSA AUF DER MAUR even. Quite a reunion, hey?

Granted, the Pumpkins were always Billy's baby, and I DID have quite a lot of fondness for "Disarm" and great swaths of MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS back in the day. So... I tried to come to the new music with open ears....

Oh well. I tried.

You'll find my two favorites (least-UNfavorites?) below, along with a ZWAN song that I recently re-discovered on an old mix CD. THAT one's kind of charming, I have to say.

SMASHING PUMPKINS on MySPACE.

SMASHING PUMPKINS live but stationary >>>

Jul 16 2007 9:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Jul 18 2007 9:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Jul 20 2007 8:00P/Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium/Santa Cruz, California
Jul 22 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Jul 24 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Jul 25 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Jul 27 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Jul 28 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Jul 30 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Jul 31 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Aug 1 2007 8:00P/The Fillmore/San Francisco, California
Aug 5 2007 8:00P/Virgin Festival/Washington DC, Virginia


[
MP3] "Tarantula"

[
MP3] "Starz"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] ZWAN/"El Sol"

Sunday, July 15

ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK

Who the hell knew that OMD was still a going concern? I sure as hell didn't.

But it's a bit of the old, early OMD we're after today....

OMD on MySPACE.


OMD
upcoming >>>

Jul 21 2007 7:00P/Pops 07 - Aintree Pavilion/Liverpool
Jul 25 2007 7:00P/Monte Carlo Sporting Club/Monte Carlo


[
MP3] "Electricity"

[
MP3] "Souvenir"

[
MP3] "Tesla Girls"

DEPECHE MODE

Some early DEPECHE MODE for an early Sunday morning. Just because.

DEPECHE MODE on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Everything Counts"

[MP3] "Blasphemous Rumours"

[MP3] "Shake the Disease"

[MP3] "Photographic" [Some Bizarre mix]

Saturday, July 14

SOVIET


For your Saturday night/Sunday morning: a bit of retro-styled electro-pop by way of SOVIET. Which is an American enterprise, not a Russian one. And not a British one, either -- despite the fact that Soviet obviously wants it to sound that way.

When it comes down to it, one is probably better off listening to early DEPECHE MODE or ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK. Hmmm...

[
MP3] "Lonely Days"

[
MP3] "Sensitive"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] MAXIMO PARK/"Russian Literature"

[MP3] STING/"Russians"

[MP3] TORPEDO/"From Russia With Love"

[MP3] THE BEATLES/"Back in the U.S.S.R."

Friday, July 13

WHITE RABBITS

WHITE RABBITS. From New York City. Album: FORT NIGHTLY. Available. Now.

(Not all. Future posts. To be. This ridiculously. Pithy. Just during. This binge.)

WHITE RABBITS on MySPACE.

WHITE RABBITS on the road >>>

Jul 19 2007 The David Letterman Show

Jul 21 2007 1:00P/Siren Music Festival/Coney Island, New York
Jul 31 2007 8:00P/High Noon Saloon/Madison, Wisconsin
Aug 1 2007 8:00P/7th St Entry/Minneapolis, Minnesota
Aug 2 2007 8:00P/Pabst Theatre/Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Aug 4 2007 8:00P/Empty Bottle/Chicago, Illinois
Aug 6 2007 8:00P/Magic Stick/Detroit, Michigan
Aug 10 2007 8:00P/Johnny Brendas/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Aug 11 2007 8:00P/Black Cat/Washington DC

[
MP3] "Kid on My Shoulders"

[
MP3] "While We Go Dancing"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[
MP3] JEFFERSON AIRPLANE/"White Rabbit"

Wednesday, July 11

TIGER LOU

TIGER LOU. From Stockholm. Led by RASMUS KELLERMAN. Named after a Jet Li movie. Tiger Lou, that is -- not Rasmus Kellerman.

TIGER LOU on MySPACE.

From the LP THE LOYAL, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Albino Apparel"
[
MP3] "Ten Minutes to Take Off"

From the EP TROUBLE AND DESIRE, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] "Nova Lee"

Friday, July 6

BEST OF 2004

I was a bit delinquent in my CD-mixing duties in June, so I don't think a "traditional" Best of the Month mix is possible this time around.

I did, however, recently review my Best Of's from the year 2004 with an eye toward seeing which songs held up for me and winnowing the winners down to one 80-minute compilation.

Seeing as I didn't start this blog till the middle of 2005, I figured I'd offer these up for you as something "new" (at least to THESE pages). Feel free to revel in the not-so-distant nostalgia.

Left-click [HERE] for said reveling (pan down for tracklist)...

Other, more recent Best Of's >>>

BEST OF MAY '07 [
HERE]
BEST OF APRIL '07 [
HERE]
BEST OF MARCH '07 [
HERE]
BEST OF FEBRUARY '07 [
HERE]
BEST OF JANUARY '07 [
HERE]

TRACKLIST >>>

01) FRANZ FERDINAND/Jacqueline
02) THE VON BONDIES/C'mon C'mon
03) LUNA/Astronaut
04) THE ANNIVERSARY/Sweet Marie
05) STARFLYER 59/Wake Up Early
06) THE DIVINE COMEDY/Absent Friends
07) SHEA SEGER/Clutch
08) THE FAINT/Southern Belles in London Sing
09) COMMUNIQUE/Black Curses
10) THE STILLS/Changes Are No Good
11) SLEEPER/Nice Guy Eddie
12) MORRISSEY/First of the Gang to Die
13) THE HIVES/See Through Head
14) DRESSY BESSY/Just Once More
15) ASH/Sometimes
16) THE BRILLIANT GREEN/Sayonara Summer is Over
17) DEAN & BRITTA/Moonshot
18) SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME/Alcohol

ART IN MANILA


ORENDA FINK -- once one-half of the Saddle Creek folk-pop outfit AZURE RAY -- has hooked up with a new group of cohorts to form ART IN MANILA.

SADDLE CREEK will release the band's debut LP, SET THE WOODS ON FIRE, on August 28.

[
MP3] "Our Addictions"

[
MP3] "The Game"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] ORENDA FINK/"Bloodline"


[MP3] AZURE RAY/"If You Fall"

Wednesday, July 4

THE NOT-QUITE-BEST OF THE BEST-OF-JUNE-THAT-NEVER-WAS

I'll have a mix available for your downloading pleasure here on Friday, but it won't be the Best of June, as would normally be the case. That particular mix ended up clocking in at about 37 minutes -- with most of the songs already having been featured on this blog.

So... I'm offering you today the songs that ALMOST made the Best of June compilation. Many of the artists have been seen around these parts before, but all of the songs are making their virgin appearances.

[
MP3] PLUSHGUN/"How We Roll"

[
MP3] SISSY WISH/"Table 44"

[MP3] MAPS/"To the Sky"

[MP3] JAY-JAY JOHANSON/"Rocks in Pockets"

[MP3] THE PIERCES/"Ruin"

[MP3] RONDERLIN/"Walking Backwards"

[MP3] MOONBABIES/"Shout It Out"

[MP3] EPO-555/"Le Beats on Fire"

Tuesday, July 3

THE ARK


Tuesdays.... Only marginally better than Mondays. So what better day for a bit of "operatic glam rock." By way of Sweden. To lift your spirits. Put some spring in your step. Some swish in your hips.

All courtesy of
THE ARK. Over-the-top in all the right ways, by my lights. Which I guess would be "disco" lights, in this case. Fear not the flamboyant. The ghost of FREDDIE MERCURY wills it so. (MIKA, too.)

THE ARK on MySPACE.

THE ARK sashaying this way & that >>>

Jul 5 2007 10:00P/Gatufesten/Sundsvall
Jul 7 2007 8:00P/Ruisrock/Abo
Jul 12 2007 8:00P/Arvikafestivalen/Arvika
Jul 13 2007 8:00P/Sommarrocken/Svedala
Jul 14 2007 8:00P/Tivolirocken/Kristianstad
Jul 14 2007 8:00P/Oskarshamn
Jul 18 2007 8:00P/Ostersjofestivalen/Karlshamn
Jul 20 2007 8:00P/Rottnerosparken/Sunne
Jul 21 2007 8:00P/Fastningen/Varberg
Jul 23 2007 8:00P/Rock Off/Mariehamn

From the LP PRAYER FOR THE WEEKEND, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Death to the Martyrs"
[
MP3] "Absolutely No Decorum"

From the LP STATE OF THE ARK, 2004 >>>
[
MP3] "This Poetry is Meant to Do Harm"
[
MP3] "Clamour for Glamour"
[
VID] "One of Us is Gonna Die Young"

From the LP WE ARE THE ARK, 2000 >>>
[
MP3] [VID] "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane"

Monday, July 2

IMMACULATE MACHINE


British Columbia, Canada's IMMACULATE MACHINE are a dual-gendered, indie-rock trio with multiple ties to the THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS. At the most basic level, group members BROOKE GAULLUPE (vocals/guitar), KATHRYN CALDER (vocals/ keyboards), and LUKE KOZLOWSKI (vocals/drums) share a record label (MINT) with their more famous countrymen. They've also shared producers with them and supported them on tour. Ms. Calder, specifically, has filled in for NEKO CASE both on the road and on disc (TWIN CINEMA). Oh, and... Calder just happens to be A.C. NEWMAN's niece -- a fact the two of them discovered only recently.

One could also say that there's some common ground when it comes to the two groups' sound(s). All three members of Immaculate Machine write and sing, and there's a certain rollicking, seemingly-loose-yet-completely-controlled quality to the harmonies and melodies that is resonant of the Pornographers.

Immaculate Machine's second full-length album, FABLES, was released June 12 and features guest help from FRANZ FERDINAND's ALEX KAPRANOS and ARCADE FIRE's OWEN PALLETT.

IMMACULATE MACHINE on MySPACE.

IMMACULATE MACHINE on the move >>>

Jul 26 2007 10:00P/Townehouse Tavern/Sudbury, Ontario
Jul 27 2007 9:00P/Zaphod Beeblebrox/Ottawa, Ontario
Jul 28 2007 8:00P/Hillside Festival/Guelph Lake, Ontario
Jul 31 2007 8:00P/Alex P. Keaton/London, Ontario
Aug 1 2007 9:00P/Horseshoe Tavern/Toronto, Ontario
Aug 2 2007 9:00P/The Jane Bond/Waterloo, Ontario
Aug 3 2007 8:00P/Ford Plant/Brantford
Aug 5 2007 9:00P/Divan Orange/Montreal, Quebec
Aug 8 2007 9:00P/Gus' Pub/Halifax, Nova Scotia
Aug 9 2007 9:00P/Brennans/Charlottetown, Prince

From the LP FABLES, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Dear Confessor"
[
MP3] "Nothing Ever Happens"

From the LP ONES AND ZEROS, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Latest Breaking News"
[
MP3] "Phone No."
[VID] "So Cynical"